Biography of Anna KournikovaAnna Kournikova (née Anya Kournikova) was born on June 7, 1981, in Moscow, Russia, to Sergei and Alla. Her father, a lecturer at the sports university in Moscow and a part-time tennis coach, and mother, did not encourage Anna to play tennis for the fame, but rather for the health benefits of the sport.
Anna Kournikova's talent was first discovered when she played at a weekly children's sports program at the age of 5, thanks to the racket she received from her parents for Christmas. She started to play and practice more often, in places such as Moscow's Soklniki Park and the prestigious Spartak Tennis Club, despite the fact that her family was far from wealthy.
While still in Moscow, Anna's first tennis coach was Larissa Preobraschenskaja, from 1985 to 1989. The budding tennis player trained and practiced while studying at school. In 1992, 11-year-old Anna moved to Florida with her mother to attend Nick Bollettieri's Tennis Academy in Bradenton. The tennis facilities made it easier for Anna, who had to commute from the gym to the tennis court to school while in Moscow.
She continued to make appearances in high-profile tournaments, drawing in big crowds but unfortunately, not as many titles or wins. After 2003's Australian Open, she suffered a back injury that led to her withdrawal from that year's Wimbledon games. But even though Kournikova hasn't been on the tennis scene, she's still everywhere else.
In 2001, she had a bit part in the Jim Carrey comedy, Me, Myself & Irene, as a motel manager, and the following year, she starred opposite Enrique Iglesias in the pop singer's video for "Escape." FHM's "Sexiest Woman in the World" also made headlines thanks to her relationships with NHL players Pavel Bure and Sergei Fedorov (who she was allegedly married to), and her on-again, off-again romance with Iglesias (apparently, the two are engaged, as Anna's been sporting a fat diamond on her engagement finger since March 2004). The two are always spotted in South Beach, and even made the tabloids when they were apparently heard causing a ruckus in a hotel room.
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